Chitralis selling their girls

[imazharyes]

The country of Chitral divided into upper (bala) and lower (payan), and held by two different branches of an ancient family of rulers, is bounded on the north and north-west by the Hindu-kush range (continuation of the Trans- Thibetan or Karakoram range), which divides it from the Pamir Steppes in the north, and the Wakhan, Zebak, and Sanglick districts of Badakhshan in the north-west ; west and south-west by Kafiristan ; south by the Pranshi (Laspur) range of mountains ; f east by Gilgit and the wild independent tracts of mountainous country, known by the provincial names of Shanaki and Kohistan ; the former (Shanaki) comprising the districts of Hodar, Dodshal, Gibrial, Daril, Tangir, Kobh, Palas, &c., inhabited by different tribes of Cards speaking the Dard dialect, and the latter (Kohistan), a part of Yag- histan, contains the districts of Khundeyah, Guryal, Dothoin, Haiail, Dubair, Samangyal, Munji, Bandkhar, &c., peopled by Afghans, who speak the Pushto.

The valley of Chitral, running in a south-westerly direction through the whole length of the country (upper and lower included), and into which numerous smaller valleys and defiles open out, is traversed throughout by a river called Chitral, after the name of the country, and Kunar, from the circumstance of its joining the Kunar, or Kama River, at Chaghan Sarai, a place in Kunar, whence the united stream falls into the Landa or Kabul River at Jalalabad, 3 marches below.

The Chitral River takes its rise from a lake called Chittiboi, at the foot of the Chitral Pass, over the Karakoram, or Trans-Thibetan range, between Chitral and the Pamir Steppes. This lake is sometimes closed with avalanches from the pass.

[imazharyes]

The population consists of Mussulmans, both Sunni and Shia, and Kafirs. The Sunnis inhabit the southern portion of the country, and the Shias the northern and north-western tracts, adjoining the Shia districts of Wakhan, Zebak and Sanglick in Badakhshan, and Gilgit, &c. The Kafirs are confined to a tract bordering on Kafiristan, to which it formerly belonged, now under Chitral-payan.

The rulers, professing Sunniism, have ever since the introduction of Islamism into Central Asia, been carrying on the singularly horrid practice of selling their own subjects into slavery. Following a doctrine of their own creation, that the " Sharah " (Muhammadan law) permits the Sunni to make slaves of Kafirs (unbelievers), amongst whom they include the Shias, they have X The Shia, though professing Islam, is looked upon by the Sunni in the light Of a Kafir, and termed "Rafezi'' (heretic). Throughout Turkistan (Bukhara in particular) Shias are not tolerated. Whilst there, they are consequently obliged to hide their belief, and conduct themselves in all outward forms of religion, as well as social intercourse, like Sunnis. heen in the habit of capturing their Shia and Kafir subjects, as well as Siah-posh Kafirs and others kidnapped or forcibly brought away from the adjacent countries of Kafiristan, Gilgit, &c., and selling them into slavery to slave-dealers from Badakhshan, Kunduz, Turkistan, Balkh, Bukhara, and Afghanistan, &c., receiving their price in Cash and goods. Criminal and political offences amongst the Shia and Kafir subjects of Chitral are, as a general rule, punished by enslavement of the offenders themselves, their children, or other grown-up relations. Sometimes whole families are sold away in groups. The Sunni population, professing the same faith as their rulers, and protected by the Sharah, are free from all such servile bondage and transfer.

The slave forms one of the principal items of revenue of the Chitral rulers. The annual tribute which they pay to the Chief of Badakhshan, to whom they owe a sort of allegiance, is made in slaves.

[imazharyes]

The Chitral slave girls and boys are the most prized of all the different descriptions of slaves brought to the Turkistan market, excepting, perhaps, the Irani (Persian) for their superior beauty,* docility, and fidelity. The Chitrali, perhaps, is equally faithful with his brother slave of Africa, the negro (Habashi — Abyssinian), whose devoted attachment to his master is proverbial in the East. The Kafirs, distinguished by their whiter skins, redder complexion, blue eyes, light hair, and robuster form, are the most untractable and revengeful of all the other descriptions of slaves in Central Asia.

Combining great physical strength with desperate courage, inured to chase and war, from the nature of their country, their social habits and institutions, and the constitution of their government, which is purely patriarchal, divided into numerous patriarchies, split by hereditary feuds into factions, the Kafirs have not only successfully repulsed the occasional predatory incursions of their Mussulman neighbours, the Afghans, the Chitralis and the Badakhshis, but constantly retaliated by making raids on all the tracts bordering on their own. These marauding excursions have, of late years, ceased in the direction of Badakhshan and Chitral, since the estabhshment of friendly relations between the border Kafirs and the rulers of those countries, but the former still continue to infest and plunder the caravan-routes in the vicinity, and over the mountain passes of Durah and Lahauri.

The mutual dissensions amongst the Kafirs drove the Kafir tribes, now under Badakhshan and Chitral-payan, to submit to foreign yokes. Death is the only punishment the Kafirs inflict on their Mussulman captives. All Kafir slaves who manage to escape back to their native country (Kafiristan Proper) are allowed to revert to their faith and social rights and privileges by their brethren.

[imazharyes]

The price of slaves throughout Turkistan generally varies from 500 to 100 Muhammad Shahi Eupees (A Muhammad Shahi Rupee is equal to I rupee and 3 annas of English money at Peshawar). It is generally paid partly in cash and partly in goods, and rarely wholly in cash.

The Chitralis speak a peculiar dialect called Chitrali ; the mercantile and the higher classes speak Persian also.

The Chitralis bear a strong resemblance in their physiognomy, features, and colour, to the hill-people of Chamba and Kangra. Their beauty consists in sym- metry of form, black eyes, and hair. The Shias shave their beards and wear short hair like natives of India.

The easiest, and consequently the most frequented, passes on the caravan-route from Peshawur to Badakhshan. The former (Durah) lies over the Hindu-kush range, between Chitral and Badakhshan, and the latter (Lahauri) between Yaghistan and Chitral.

Chtral-payan, is the chief place of commerce in the country. It is situated on the two caravan-routes hetween India, Badalvbshan, and Yarkand, which, if cared for, can be made to connect more closely the north-western frontier of India with Western Turkistan through Badakhshan, and Eastern Turkistan through the Pamir Steppes, by the shortest, the directest, and perhaps the easiest of all the lines of communication now in use. The only dangerous portion of the route is the country of Yaghistan (Bajour and Swat, including Dir), between Peshawar and Chitral.

[imazharyes]

Caravans of petty merchants now pass through Kashkaro annually between Peshawar, Yaghistan and Afghanistan, on the south-east and south-west, and Badakhshan, Kunduz, Balkh, Turkistan, and Kolab, a principality in Bukhara, on the north-west, and Eastern Turkistan on the north-east.

Mistuch and Yasin, in Chitral-bala, are also resorted to by traders for the purchase of slaves. The former lies on the caravan-route leading to Yarkand, 7 marches up the Chitral River from Kashkaro; the latter, lying between Mistnch and Gilgit, is about 15 marches from Kashkaro, and 6 or 7 from Mistuch.

Trade in Chitral is chiefly carried on by means of barter (" marchah " ). The Peshawaris, the Afghanistanis, and the Yaghistanis, both Hindu and Mussulman, exchange Bahadarkhel salt,* English and Indian piece-goods, grocery, haberdashery, Bajour iron, for Hartal (orpiment), Chitral woollens (blankets and choghas) and falcons. The merchants from the north-west bring horses, Bukhara and Khokand silks, cloaks of Russian broad-cloth, and Badakhshan salt, cotton cloth, and degchoans (iron cans, cast after the Russian style), &c., for the purchase of slaves and Chitral woollens (cloaks, blankets, and stockings). The trade between Yarkand and India, or Afgha- nistan, through Chitral, is confined to certain adventurous Afghans only ; natives of Yarkand seldom or never take this route.

Chitral, as already stated, is held by two different branches of an ancient family, descended from a common ancestor, " Kathor." The branch in pos- session of Chitral-bala is called the " Khushwaktia," from Khushwakt, an ancestor of the present incumbents ; that holding Chitral-payan goes by the name of the " Shahkathoria," after Shah Kathor, grandfather of the present ruler, Aman-ul-mulk. The two branches not only rule over their respective countries independently of each other, but are generally at variance with one another.

[Friends of Baloch]

I have read comments from Punjabis in forums that buying Chitrali girls is very popular trend in Punjab. They drool over Kalasha girls all the time and do not get tire in posting their pictures, and when they learn that a Chitrali girls of the same district can be bought for around thirty thousand rupees...........

Creeping and lusting over "light skinned" women from other races is one of the most common traits of Punjabis.

Punjabis are always very proud to show off Kalash people, post their pictures and tell others that Kalash are "Pakis" in some pathetic attempt to suggest that tiny 3000 Kalash people are representative of what 170 million Dravidians of Pakiland are all about.

[Nertj]

Creeping and lusting over "light skinned" women from other races is one of the most common traits of Punjabis.

Punjabis are always very proud to show off Kalash people, post their pictures and tell others that Kalash are "Pakis" in some pathetic attempt to suggest that tiny 3000 Kalash people are representative of what 170 million Dravidians of Pakiland are all about.

Haha very true. There is even Pakistani attempts using people of Afghanistan to represent what they Look like hahha.

In reality everyne knows what these Ranjiits look like. inseperable from Indians.

[imazharyes]

A sick attack on Chitralis. Chitralis are very nice people peaceful, industrious, and educated with a high literacy in both women and men compared to tribal savages.

Thats right. Chitralis are peaceful because Chitral has been a stable kingdom throughout most of its history with no foreign invasion and occupation which is in contrast to the lawless and tribulent sorrouding areas. Chitralis also have very high literacy rate both male and female and most of the people work in various govt departments.

[imazharyes]

dalagan and begherata spotted. pashtun don't sell woman to any outsider. in past few were involved in kidnapping local woman and selling them in punjab and sindh. but they were criminal

But why there so many Pashtoon sex workers in Lahore and Rawalpindi if you dont sell your daughters.

[imazharyes]

Chitralis looks better. In terms of looks they are superior. Hence why Ranjiits prefer lightskinned Chitrali women over women of their own race.

If by Ranjitt you mean Punjabi. But majority of the girls are married in the KPK not in Punjab.

[Friends of Baloch]

But why there so many Pashtoon sex workers in Lahore and Rawalpindi if you dont sell your daughters.

How do you know? Do you have first hand knowledge and experience of this?

[human]

In Pakistan only afghans or pashtuns are known to sell daughters, never heard of Chitralis. Maybe they used to do many centuries ago. It's save to say this practice is looked down upon and generally people who buy brides treat them like prostitutes. This practice should be discouraged even if part of one culture.

[Charsi Malang]

In Pakistan only afghans or pashtuns are known to sell daughters, never heard of Chitralis. Maybe they used to do many centuries ago. It's save to say this practice is looked down upon and generally people who buy brides treat them like prostitutes.

Negative propaganda. As explained at the beginning of this thread, the "bride price" that is paid to the girls daughter is actually to help the girl in her new life, however some people keep this money or a part of it and this noble practice has become corrupted and misinterpreted as "selling".

This point has been explained to me years before I even came on to this forum. As with all the other inacccurate stereotypes this is yet another one to add to the list.

Chitralis are actually well known even amongst Pashtuns to sell girls.

[Charsi Malang]

But why there so many Pashtoon sex workers in Lahore and Rawalpindi if you dont sell your daughters.

What on earth are you talking about? Complete rubbish.

[imazharyes]

What on earth are you talking about? Complete rubbish.

Don't get carried away. Just google it you will see for yourself. Even on this forum you can find that Pashtoons are also selling their women.